A song for each of them
by texmex327
Summary: I have decided to challenge myself. A songfic for each of the members of Horatio's team with the occasional pairing of characters. Hope you guys like them.
1. When You're Gone

When You're Gone

Horatio Caine dealt with tragedy all of his life. First when his mother was killed by his father, then when he thought his brother was killed while working undercover and more recently when his new wife was killed by the hands of the Mala Noche.

He hadn't planned on falling so hard for her. He told himself time and time again that he wouldn't allow himself to become so attached to her. To his surprise he did and he didn't regret it one bit.

She pursued him aggressively and it was something he absolutely adored about her. He knew this relationship would strain the one he had with Eric but sometimes it's worth the risk. The first time she looked into his eyes she knew that this was the man she would spend the rest of her life with. Neither one of them thought it would come sooner than later.

As he held her hand in the ambulance a lifetime of pain filled his heart. It wasn't fair. He had just found her and now he was losing her. All of the people he loved were taken away so violently.

At her graveside with her brother by his side, he vowed to get revenge. As he watched Antonio Riaz drive away to a private plane he knew what his next move would be.

"_H, it's our move."_

"_We're going to Brazil."_

_When you're gone_

_The pieces of my heart are missing you_

_When you're gone_

_The face I came to know is missing too_


	2. Your Arms Feel Like Home

Your Arms Feel Like Home—Calleigh Duquesne

She remembers the first time he held her in his arms. It was after Tim died. They both shed many tears that night. It was the first time in a long time that she allowed herself to show her vulnerable side. She remembers falling asleep in his arms that night. It felt comfortable, it felt right. She knew that his arms would shield her from the pain of losing one of her best friends.

The second time he held her in his arms was after John died. It happened so fast. One minute John was talking to her, the next minute she could hear the familiar sound of the gun that was put up against her head. Eric had tried to convince her that it wasn't her fault but she felt otherwise, maybe if she had given him another chance he would still be alive. Eric placed his arms around her and once again allowed her to drown his shirt in her tears.

She remembers when he came home from the hospital. She stayed with him for hours on end while he was there. She almost lost him and she doesn't know what would have happened to her if she had. How could she deal with losing him? How could she deal with not having him there to wrap his arms around her when she needed him? She looked at him with tears in her eyes as he & Alexx make their way up to his condo. He takes one look at her and sees her tears. He pulls her into a strong embrace and tells her that he is sorry for making her cry.

After her kidnapping all she wanted to do was go home. Eric refused to let her do it alone. She couldn't have been more thankful for him that night. She remembers waking up drenched in sweat. Eric ran into her room when he heard her screaming. He turned the lap on at her bedside. She looked terrified. All she wanted was for the nightmare to go away. She begged Eric to stay with her. He complied. As she feel into a deep sleep that night she knew that his arms would keep her safe.

After her brief hospitalization he never left her side. He had spoken the words that she needed to hear. He couldn't imagine his life without her. She knew that it worked both ways. This time the roles were reversed. It was he who kept vigil at her bedside, hoping and praying that she would get through this ordeal. He reluctantly left her bedside after speaking the words she had been waiting to hear. He took her home and stayed with her the entire weekend. They agreed to take it slow, but she just couldn't resist asking him to stay with her. His arms would keep her safe.

She almost lost him. They had just begun to take their relationship to the next level and because of his father, she almost lost him. As she waited for him outside of the detention center the butterflies slowly crept into her stomach. He ran to her and took her in his arms. She knew that tonight would be the night that they would make love. She joked about marrying him and joked about making him a traditional American dinner. The night was perfect and as he held her after they made love that night, she knew right where she belonged. She knew that his arms felt like home.

_And there's a life inside of me that I can feel again_

_It's the only thing that takes me where I've never been_

_I don't care if I lost everything that I have known_

_It don't matter where I lay my head tonight_

_Your arms feel like home, feel like home_


	3. What Hurts the Most

What Hurts the Most

Setting: Post Born to Kill

Eric Delko

"_You know that I trust you with my life. I don't even know how I feel about Jake yet."_

The words she had said to him earlier in the day were playing in his mind as he watched her kiss Jake Berkeley in the middle of the lab. It had taken her by surprise as well, he could tell. He looked up at her as she got on the elevator. The pain in his eyes was evident. He was in love and he had just gotten his heart stomped on. She looked back at him with the guilt of what she had done written all over her face. She hadn't expected Jake to kiss her in the middle of the crime lab, yet she did nothing to stop it. He stood there feeling as if he had lost everything in an instant.

He told himself that it wouldn't affect the way they worked together but it did. Every time he looked at her he felt pain and heartbreak. He did his best to avoid her at work and everyone was starting to notice. He even considered switching to the night shift so that he wouldn't have to face her. He realized that not seeing her at all would hurt him even more.

Their relationship was strained all because of one kiss. One kiss that took everything he had hoped for away. He wanted to tell Calleigh how he felt. He was almost certain that she felt the same way. She wouldn't have kissed him on the cheek the way she did. Her lips lingering on his cheek for a minute longer than it should have. She wouldn't protect him the way she had been doing. Natalia was right, she had taken an extra interest in Eric, but she would never admit it. He told himself that Calleigh was being a good friend, all the while hoping that his heart wasn't wrong. In his heart he felt something stronger, something he had never felt before.

A couple weeks later he would come to work and realize that Calleigh wasn't there. The first vacation she had taken in a long time. He would find out later that day that Jake was gone as well. It didn't take a genius to figure out that they had gone on vacation together.

He never thought that he could feel this much pain over someone. But she wasn't just someone. She was his soul mate, he knew that. What hurt him the most was that she would never know it.

_What hurts the most  
Was being so close  
And having so much to say  
And watching you walk away  
And never knowing  
What could have been  
And not seeing that loving you  
Is what I was tryin' to do_

_Rascal Flatts_


	4. Photograph

Photograph

Setting: Post Rock and A Hard Place

Dr. Alexx Woods

"_It has been my honor to work with you, Mr. Caine."_

It had been two weeks since Dr. Alexx Woods had resigned as medical examiner. In those two weeks she had managed to get back into the swing of being stay at home mom. She had to admit that she missed her friends at the lab like crazy. She still hadn't gotten around to putting her stuff away. The two boxes that she brought back from her office in the morgue held so many memories. She just couldn't bear to open them up again. While she was packing she didn't pause to reminisce over the photographs. She was afraid that it would make it that much harder for her to leave them.

She was sitting on the floor of her office in front of one of two boxes. This box contained seven years of memories some good, some bad. She opened the box and held back the tears as she picked up the first picture on the top of the stack.

It was a picture of her, Tim, Eric & Calleigh. It was taken at her 4th of July party the summer before Tim died. They had become such good friends, it was such a shame that Tim was taken away from them so soon. She laughed as she remembered how much Eric & Tim had drunk that night. Alexx's motherly instinct kicked in that night. She wouldn't allow her boys to go home drunk that night, she made them stay in the guest rooms. She also laughed as she remembered how much Tim was picking on Eric that night about his crush on Calleigh. Eric would never admit this sober but he had told Alexx that night that one day Calleigh would be his. Funny how drunken words are sober thoughts.

The next picture she picked up was one of her, Henry, Horatio, Marisol, Eric, Calleigh, Natalia and Ryan. It was taken at he & Marisol's wedding reception. Eric had decided that his sister and new brother in law deserved a proper celebration so he invited everyone out for dinner at Havana's on the Bay. She smiled at the memory of how in love Horatio and Marisol looked. A tear slipped as she realized at how soon Marisol was taken from them as well.

The last picture she picked up was her favorite. It was a picture of her, Natalia, Calleigh and Maxine. It was a girls night out. She remembered that she had to beg Calleigh to go out with them that night. It was after Jake had left for his latest undercover assignment and according to Calleigh, she just wasn't in the mood. Calleigh agreed to go as a favor to Alexx. She thinks that Calleigh had more fun that anyone else that night. Calleigh had asked the bartender to take a picture of them. Alexx seemed to think the only reason the bartender said yes was because he wanted her number. She never did find out if she gave him her number.

So many memories came flooding back to her as she flipped through the rest of the pictures. The good times and the bad. These people that she left behind were her other family. She missed them terribly. She made a mental note to call Eric and Calleigh later in that week to see how everything was going, maybe even invite them over for dinner. It was one thing she was still determined to do even if she wasn't there. She was going to get them together. She couldn't wait to get a picture of them at their wedding.

_Look at this photograph_

_Every time I do it makes me laugh_

_Every time I do it makes me……._

_--Nickelback_


	5. What I've Done

Thanks to C.H.E.A.R. for the song suggestion. I really appreciate it! This is going to be from Ryan's POV.

What I've Done

Setting: Post Wolfe in Sheep's Clothing

Ryan Wolfe

"_Alright, I'll do what you want"_

For as long as I could remember, I wanted to be a cop. I wanted to be the hero, the one that helped people. It's in my nature. When I transferred to Miami from Boston, I couldn't be happier. After a couple of years on patrol I decided that becoming a CSI would be better for me. There is something about being a CSI that makes me feel like I am giving a voice to the victims. Being a CSI is in my blood, it is where I belong. After what happened today, I have never felt like more of an outsider.

It was never my intention to hurt anyone on the team. Still after I walked out of the fingerprint lab, I felt like shit. I hurt them. It wasn't like before where they would forgive me for doing something stupid, it was different. I betrayed their trust. I purposely tampered with evidence in an ongoing case. Eric and Calleigh should both understand where I am coming from. It's not like they hadn't done the same thing before. But still it was different. They never tampered with evidence; they just observed the person that was working on the evidence so they could make sure that the person that they cared about didn't go down for it. If the situation was reversed they would have both done the same thing in an instant. Still, they deserved an explanation that I wasn't ready to give them.

I walked into my apartment after watching Mark and Billy leave for the second time in as many months. I was tired as hell and all I wanted to do was wash up and sleep for days. I couldn't though, because every time I closed my eyes I could hear the gun going off. My worst fear almost came true when I heard that gun go off. If it hadn't been for Horatio, God only knows where we would have found Billy.

I know that I am going to have to explain myself to the rest of the team and to Internal Affairs. The rest of the team might forgive me, but IAB won't be. Rick Stetler has been itching to get me since I got reinstated.

Apologizing is not something I have perfected yet. Eric is still upset with me because of what happened earlier in the year when I helped Horatio fake his death. When he & Calleigh found out that it was me that got the text I really thought he was going to take my head off. Messing with Eric when he is angry is not something I like to do. I do think that Calleigh is worse. I've seen her angry and she is not the person to mess with. Well that and because I am afraid she will shoot me. I know that these two are together so that means it will be twice as hard to get them to trust me again. I know that Natalia will be easier to convince. Her & I have grown closer over the last couple of years. She knows me better than I think I know myself. She knows that I wouldn't do something like this intentionally, unless there was an absolute necessity.

The next morning Horatio gathered the team in the break room as it was finally my turn to offer an explanation for what had happened. It was hard for me to explain to my teammates the reasons for my actions. I just hope that they would accept my apologies for what I've done.

_So let mercy come_

_And wash away_

_What I've done_

_I'll face myself_

_To cross out what I've become_

_Erase myself_

_And let go what I've done_

_--Linkin Park_


	6. My Hero

My Hero

Frank Tripp

Setting: Every little girl idolizes her father. This takes place after season 2, Frank is invited to his daughter's school for career day. After his divorce he puts away the letter that she wrote about him. Ten years later as he watches his daughter graduate from high school he remembers the day she named him her hero.

Samantha Tripp walked ran into the kitchen as she saw her father Frank Tripp walk in.

"Daddy, daddy, I need a huge favor please!" she pleaded.

"Anything princess."

"Could you please come to my school for career day?"

"Sure thing darlin'"

A week later Detective Frank Tripp was sitting in a classroom full of second graders. He didn't know that the children would have to get up in front of the class to talk about their parents. He heard kids talk about their mothers and fathers being doctors, lawyers, record producers, photographers. The kids made it sound so glamorous. Unfortunately he knew better. It was Samantha's turn to talk about her dad.

He smiled at her as he watched her make her way in front of all her friends. She looked nervous. He blew her a kiss as she stood in front of the blackboard.

_My daddy's name is Detective Frank Tripp. He works for the Miami-Dade police department. He is a detective. He works hard day and night to put bad people in jail. He gets to wear suits to work every day even if he doesn't like them. My daddy tells me that the reason he works for the police department is because he wants to make the world safer for me and my brothers. I love my daddy very much, he is my hero._

As Frank Tripp watched youngest daughter walk across the stage, tears filled his eyes as he remembered what she had told her class that day at career day. He caught her eye and smiled at her cheering louder than any other parent there. His baby girl was all grown up, but he knew that she would always call him her hero. It was one job that he was determined to never fail at.

_There goes my hero_

_Watch him as he goes_

_There goes my hero_

_He's ordinary_

_--Foo Fighters_


	7. Never Again

Domestic Violence is very real. It has been getting a lot of attention because of recent events with a couple of celebrities. What doesn't get the attention it deserves are the true victims who live with this situation day in and day out. I have been fortunate enough to have never experienced this in my own life but have become painfully aware of people that I love going through this. I can only hope that they do not become a statistic in a never ending battle.

Never Again

Natalia Boa Vista

Setting: After Collision, Natalia is invited to speak at the Dade County Women's shelter.

Natalia stood at the podium in front of maybe a couple dozen women and children that were currently staying that the Dade County Women's Shelter. The case that they had worked on the week before had hit a familiar sore spot. Most times the victim's end up going back to their attackers. It could be a boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife or parent. They needed to know that they were not alone.

"I want to tell you a story." she started.

"Several years ago a man physically pulled his wife out of church in front of the entire congregation. The man threatened her with harm and even informed her that he had a gun. He stood in front of everyone and accused her of cheating on him with another woman. All the while the people did nothing. When he got her home he forcefully held the gun to her head and told her that he loved her so much. The muzzle stamp of the gun was imprinted on her left temple for a week. He beat her so hard that night that she miscarried the baby she and her husband had been so excited about. As she lay in the bathroom bleeding a little piece of her was thankful that she would not have to bring a child into this situation. After she cleaned herself up her husband kissed her forehead and told her that he loved her. He fell asleep without a care in the world. The woman cried herself to sleep, but not loud enough to wake her husband.

The next morning she went to work as if nothing had happened. She put on extra makeup to cover the bruise to her left temple; however, it couldn't hide the intense pain she felt. She couldn't move because she was black and blue. He knew where exactly to hit her so that no one would be the wiser. She was afraid to run because he would always find her. He called her family and filled their heads with lies so that if she ever came to them with the truth, they wouldn't believe her.

She left him after he beat her to within an inch of her life. Her terrifying screams woke up her neighbors. They told the cops that they had never heard the young couple fight. They were wrong. They had heard them fighting before but did nothing to stop it.

He was arrested and put in jail for 3 years. The woman ran as far as she could. She stopped once she reached Miami."

Natalia pulled a sonogram picture out of her bag. She held it up for everyone to see. "My baby would have been five years old this June. She never got a chance because I was too afraid to stand up to my abuser. I am not telling you what to do, but please think of yourselves and your children. There is help out there for victims of abuse. You have all taken a huge step in the right direction."

Natalia looked up through her tears and saw a familiar face in the back of the room. She stepped down and ran into the waiting arms of her sister and her mother. They had never known about what had happened that day; they chose to believe Nick's lies. Her mother apologized over an over again. They both shed tears for the grandchild that never got the chance.

_Been there before, but not like this  
Seen it before, but not like this  
Never before have I ever  
Seen it this bad  
She's just a woman  
Never Again_

_--Nickelback_

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	8. Better as Memory

Better as a Memory

Jake Berkeley

Setting: Post 7.01, After Jake says goodbye to Calleigh in the lab, she comes home to find a letter on her kitchen counter.

"_I was kinda hoping that you'd wait."_

"_I can't live like that"_

It had been a long tiring day for Calleigh. She was mixed up with a million different emotions. They had started off thinking that Horatio had been killed, Ryan's betrayal and then Jake popping back into her life. Who the hell did he think he was to ask me to wait for him, she thought to herself. She almost didn't notice the letter sitting against her phone on the counter. She caught the handwriting on the envelope and knew immediately what it was. At least he said goodbye this time. Calleigh took the letter and sat on the couch. She flipped the envelope over several times, she knew what was in there, it was time for her to face the reality that this time he wouldn't be back. She ripped open the letter and began to read his goodbye.

_Calleigh,_

_There were so many things that I wanted to say to you once I had the chance. I needed to explain to you why I had to leave so suddenly a few months before. I'm so sorry for doing this to you yet again. I am sorry that I wasn't there for you after your kidnapping even though I should have been. I never intended for it to end up this way. When we started dating again I told myself that I wasn't going to be that guy that I was 10 years ago. Always thinking about my job before you. I fell for you the minute I laid eyes on you at the academy. I never stopped loving you even after we fell apart. I just want you to know that I will always love you. I wish you nothing but the best and I hope that you find the happiness that you deserve, even if it is not with me. You will always be in my heart. Please stay safe, I know how dangerous the streets of Miami are. I love you Calleigh, I always will._

_Love,_

_ Jake_

Calleigh wiped away the tears that fell from her face. She wasn't the type of person to cry over a lost love, but sometimes it can't be helped. She picked up a picture of her & Jake that they had taken in Antigua. The laughter they shared, the stolen kisses on a Sunday afternoon were all a long lost memory. It was time for her to move on, she had waited long enough. No one would ever take the memories of the times that she & Jake spent together. Jake Berkeley is better as a memory, she knew that. It was up to her to find a way to live with it.

_I'm never sure when the truth won't do  
I'm pretty good on a lonely night  
I move on the way a storm blows through  
I never stay, but then again, I might  
I struggle sometimes to find the words  
always sure until I doubt  
walk a line until it blurs  
build walls too high to climb out  
but I'm honest to a fault, it's just who I am  
I'm better as a memory than as your man_

_--Kenny Chesney_


	9. Better than Me

Better than Me

Jake Berkeley

Ok so maybe I didn't do Jake justice in the last song. Truth is, I really didn't like him all that much and made his song more about him & Calleigh's breakup. So please forgive me. I think this song sums up his feelings. Written from Jake's POV, somewhere in season six when he disappeared.

"_You deserve much better than me"_

I looked down at the piece of paper in my hands. ATF called me back in to work undercover. I had no choice. The Crypt Kings were up to no good. I was told it had to do with them smuggling ammo and drugs. There was no time for me to say goodbye to Calleigh. MDPD had been notified ahead of time. It was on a need to know basis, so as far as anyone else was concerned, I didn't exist.

I looked around my apartment. It was missing something, it was missing her. It was missing her smile that lit up even the darkest of my days. She had left her nightgown on the edge of my bed. She was running late morning and had said that she would be by to pick it up later.

She had told me that she was tired of the lies and the pain of losing me over and over again. I kicked myself hard the day I let her walk out of my life and I swore to myself that I would never let her go through that pain again because of me. So here I am, ten years later causing her the same pain that I did before. She told me that if we were going to be together that we would have to be fully committed to this relationship. She was tired of playing games. I tried so hard to be committed to her but my job, my job means everything to me. I never stopped loving her, this much I know, but she needs someone to love her and treat her like I never could.

I am going to miss everything about her. The way she would laugh at something so silly, the way her nose crinkled when she was looking at a crossword puzzle on the weekend, the way she would look at me as I was yelling at the television during a football game.

So here I stand, in front of the apartment where she & I shared countless nights together. Never any mornings, she would always tell me that a girl needed to keep some mystery. I regret letting her walk out on me because I would give anything to hang on to those mornings and those nights. I will always have her in my heart. I wish I could say that if I asked to her wait that she would, but that would be selfish of me. I have to be the bigger man and let her go. In all honesty, she does deserve someone better than me. Someone who won't lie to her and someone who will never put his job before her.


	10. Live like you were dying

Live like you were dying

A tribute to Tim Speedle

Stuck in limbo before he is to move on, Tim Speedle pays one last visit to those he loves and cares about.

I can hear Horatio calling my name telling me to hold on, that help was on the way. I couldn't feel anything, my breath is fading fast. The next thing I knew I am standing over my own body. I am standing next to Horatio as he is standing over me. Five minutes later I can see Alexx, Calleigh, and Rick Stetler walk into the crime scene. I should have known better, I shouldn't have had to look down at my gun. I should have cleaned my gun, especially after the last time. I had promised them that I would be more careful. I let them down.

I watch as Horatio pulls up to my mother's house. This, I realize, has to be one of the hardest moments in his life. My mother doesn't know Horatio. She knows of him, the things that I have told her about him. When he walks up to the porch and rings the door bell I can see Horatio fidgeting with his sunglasses. I look directly at my mother and father as Horatio tells them of my passing. My mother collapses from the grief. I'm so sorry momma, I never meant to cause you this much pain. I made a choice momma, please don't be mad.

I watch Alexx as she attempts to begin my autopsy. Alexx and I were always very close. She was like a surrogate mother to me. She was always very protective of me. We were always joking and laughing. Her family adored me, so she said; her kids would refer to me as Uncle Speed. I am going to miss spending holidays with you and your family. They had always been so welcoming. I made a choice Alexx, please don't be mad.

I watch Calleigh as she is processing my gun. The pain of losing a friend is evident. I would never admit it to anyone but I have always held a soft spot for Calleigh. I had always been very protective of her. We started together on Horatio's team. We were always close. For a long time it was just the two of us. I loved her, like a sister. I made a choice Calleigh, please don't be mad.

I watch Eric as he continues to process the fingerprints in the lab. I know that Eric will never admit it, but he is going to have the most difficult time with my death. I remember when Eric & I were in the club fire. He withdrew a lot when Connie died in the fire. Eric always blamed himself for what happened, no matter how many times I told him that it wasn't his fault. Eric is like the brother I never had, but I would never admit that too him, I didn't want to give him a big head or anything. I made a choice Eric, please don't be mad.

I will be given a funeral with full honors even though I know I did nothing special. I was shot in the line of duty. I was never meant to die a hero but that is what they will tell my mother and father. I died while trying to save the life of a child. Life will go on because it has to. My friends will always remember me in one way. I just hope that we will be able to meet again someday, hopefully not too soon. So until then, don't forget to remember me, but don't forget to live each day like it's your last.


	11. Do you believe me now?

Do you believe me now?

Setting: Early season 6

Calleigh Duquesne, Jake Berkeley, Eric Delko

Special thanks to ladyd10 for the song idea. I hope that this chapter does not disappoint you all.

"_How was Antigua?" _

"_It was nice."_

"You know that Delko's jealous, right?" Jake said as he grabbed a beer from Calleigh's fridge.

Calleigh looked up at her boyfriend and just laughed. "C'mon, he's not jealous, he's just being overprotective."

"C'mon Cal, are you serious. The man is in love with you." Jake told her.

"He is not. We are just friends, that's it." Calleigh told him.

"I'm not blind. I see the way he looks at you."

"And how does he look at me Jake?"

"Like he is undressing you with his eyes. I don't like it one bit."

"Eric is harmless Jake and besides, who am I with right now?" Calleigh said as she climbed on his lap and placed a kiss on his lips.

"Don't think that you are going to worm your way out of this with a kiss…" Jake said.

Calleigh once again placed a kiss on his lips to shut him up, once again leaving the subject of Eric Delko in the air.

"_Look, Eric, if we are going to be working together, you have to talk to me"_

"_I said it's nothing"_

"_Does it have something to do with me and Jake, is there a problem?"_

"_No Calleigh, don't be ridiculous."_

"_Well you've been acting strange with me all day, so what else am I supposed to think?_

Calleigh walked into her place and was beat. She threw her things on the table and walked over to the fridge to get the bottle of wine. It was just one of those days. She could feel the tears on the edge, but she refused to cry. Cooper had opened up those old wounds that were just beginning to heal three years after Speedle's death. Poor Eric, she thought to herself. He was ready to take Cooper's head off.

"Cal, are you in here?" Jake's voice broke the silence of her condo.

"Cal, why are you sitting in the dark?" Jake asked as he turned the lamp on in the living room.

Calleigh was sitting by the window, spread out in front of her were pictures that she had put away after Speedle died. They were pictures of her, Eric & Tim. The three of them were inseparable before he died.

"Cal, what happened?" Jake asked as he took a look at the picture in her hand.

"Nothing, it was….nothing." Calleigh told him.

"Cal,"

"Cooper stole Speedle's credit card. Eric and I caught him at McKenna's on the Bay using it." Calleigh said as she wiped a tear from her eye.

"I'm sorry baby." He said as he pulled her into a hug.

They were interrupted by the sound of Calleigh's phone ringing. She looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Eric calling. She got up and walked out onto the balcony.

Jake didn't mean to overhear what Calleigh was telling him, but curiosity got the best of him.

"Ok, I'm on my way." Calleigh said as she hung up the phone.

"Jake, I'll…I'll be back later. Eric needs me." She said.

"Cal, doesn't he have a girlfriend of his own to help him through this."

"Jake, Eric needs me. You wouldn't understand."

Calleigh left her condo, leaving the picture she was looking at on the kitchen counter. Jake picked it up and took a long look at it. It was a picture of Eric & Calleigh, they were hugging each other by a Christmas tree. Now if she was so upset about Cooper using Speedle's credit card, why is she staring at a picture of her and Eric, he thought to himself.

"_How does Rick Stetler even have the faintest idea of what is going on in my personal life?"_

"_It was an accident. I left you a message. I called you."_

"_I didn't get it."_

"_I never intended for this to happen. I don't like the situation with Jake, but you know I wouldn't rat you out. You know that."_

To say that Calleigh was mad was an understatement, she was beyond pissed off. First Jake told her that they should cool things off, then she finds out that it was Eric who told Stetler about her and Jake.

Jake had called Calleigh after his shift so that they could talk. She had told them that he had said everything that he needed to say outside of the station. He begged her for a chance to explain. So here they were, sitting across from each other, neither one saying a thing.

"Who told Stetler about us?" Jake asked, even though he had a pretty good idea of who said something.

"It was an accident." She replied.

"It was Delko, wasn't it? I told you he's jealous."

Calleigh thought back to what Eric had told her earlier that day about not liking the fact that she and Jake were together, but she chose to keep her mouth shut.

"He said that he didn't intend for it to happen."

"You are always defending him Calleigh, what does this guy have on you?"

"Nothing Jake, we are just friends, why do I have to keep defending my relationship with him to you."

"When you realize that the guy is trying to take my place!" Jake yelled.

"GET OUT!"

Jake slammed the door as he left. What would it take for her to realize what he suspected, Eric was trying to move in on his girlfriend.

"_If it would have been me, I would have transferred to the night shift."_

She hated having to hide her relationship with Jake from everyone. She wasn't that person. She wanted to be able to openly enjoy her relationship with Jake without fear of someone finding out.

They were lying on the couch after work that day. She couldn't help but to take in the words that Eric had said to her earlier that day.

"Would you transfer to the night shift if it meant that we could still be together?" Calleigh asked.

"Cal, we are together. Why would I have to transfer?"

Calleigh sat up on the couch and looked at Jake. "So, if Stetler found out that we were together, you wouldn't transfer?"

"Why should I have to transfer, wouldn't you?" He asked.

"No, I wouldn't. I would hate to leave my friends." She told him.

"You mean Eric, right. You wouldn't want to leave Eric." Jake started with the accusations again.

"Why do you always think that everything I do or say has something to do with Eric? Eric and I are just friends."

"Cal, who are you trying to convince me or you?"

Calleigh stayed quiet.

"That's what I thought." Jake told her.

Jake left her condo shortly after that. He was reassigned to ATF about a month later, but things were strained after the attempt on her life. He wanted to believe that Eric was as good as Calleigh said he was, but something was still off. Calleigh had thanked Jake for finding the evidence that cleared her. In the back of Jake's mind, his doubts about Calleigh and Eric's relationship took hold. They never got to finish their conversation regarding Eric's feelings. Jake knew that Calleigh was a good CSI, but when it came to Eric, she was absolutely blind.

A year later Jake walked back into MDPD. He could hear the people whispering around him. He caught a little snippet of what someone had said, "Oh shit, Eric's not gonna like this, the ex-boyfriend back in town. You know that he is going to make sure Calleigh doesn't see him."

Valera stood there talking to the receptionist, "Nah, Eric trusts Calleigh, besides, Calleigh loves Eric with all her heart, and no one will come between them."

_So do you believe me now?_

_I guess I really wasn't that crazy_

_And I knew what I was talkin' 'bout_

_Every time the sun goes down_

_He's the one that's holdin' you baby_

_Yeah me, I'm missin' you way cross town_

_So do you believe me now?_

_--Jimmy Wayne_


	12. Find out who your friends are

Find out who your friends are

Ryan Wolfe/Natalia Boa Vista

Post season 5,

I absolutely enjoy the friendship between Ryan & Natalia and agree with most people that they have been severely underused this season. I hope that the next season brings them wonderful story lines and maybe a love interest for each of them.

Written from Natalia's POV

Ryan and I had been sitting there for hours looking at all of his old case files. I looked up at Ryan and smiled at him. He looked back at me and whispered a silent thank you. I didn't have to stay with him. Everyone had long since gone home. I just felt sorry for him. He got mixed up with the wrong people. I knew no amount of words could explain what he did, but still I knew I had to hear it directly from him.

Another hour later I put down the stack of papers I was looking at.

"You hungry?" I asked.

"Starving." He told me.

"Let's get out of here and get something to eat."

Ryan put down the papers and told Stetler's IAB officer that he would be back in the morning to finish sorting through the papers.

We settled on a café that is down the street from the lab. We grabbed a table and sat down.

"Thanks for helping Nat."

"No problem Ryan. You'd do the same for me."

"I'm sorry, for everything. You know I never meant to put the lab at risk."

"I know Ryan. But you don't have to worry; we will all get through this."

"Are Calleigh and Eric still mad at me?"

"No, I don't think so. I am sure that they want to see you get reinstated just as badly as I do."

"I screwed up, big time. I wouldn't be surprised if they never gave me my job back."

I placed my hand over his. "Ryan, you broke protocol. They will reinstate you, its just going to take some time."

He smiled back at me. "Thanks Natalia"

"For what?"

"For everything."

"I did nothing Ryan, I am just trying to be a good friend."

"You are the best you know that."

I smiled at him. Our food arrived and we enjoyed a pleasant conversation after that.

Ryan and I had come a long way since we first met. I had always felt that he was competing with Eric for my attention, but after Eric and I broke up, Ryan and I grew closer. He wasn't the rebound guy, he just wanted to be a good friend.

We must have stayed at the café later than we had wanted to because before we knew it, the café was closing. I didn't remember the last time I had laughed so hard. We said our goodbyes with the promise of me coming to help him the next morning with the rest of his case files. As I got into my car a song came on that pretty much summed up mine and Ryan's relationship. As I sang along with the lyrics, I knew that no matter what happened, I would always be there for Ryan because he would do the same for me.

_You find out who your friends are  
Somebody's gonna drop everything  
Run out and crank up their car  
Hit the gas, get there fast  
Never stop to think 'what's in it for me?' or 'it's way too far'  
They just show on up with their big old heart  
You find out who your friends are_

_--Tracy Lawrence_


	13. What if I said

What if I said

Pairing: Horatio Caine/ Yelina Salas

Yelina's POV

"_I used to think that if I had met you first…."_

There was something special about the way Horatio looked at me. No one, not even Ray looked at me like that. To say that I hadn't thought about him every day was a lie. I worry so much about him. I lost my husband, his brother, not once, but twice. I know that I can't go through that pain again. I used to tell myself that it was nothing, this unspoken tension between us is all my imagination but its not. I can honestly say that I love him, I probably always have. He asked me once why I married his brother; I told him it was because he asked. Truth was that if he had asked me to not marry Ray, I would have, because then I would have known that this thing, this bond is not a figment of my overactive imagination. We have always been close; there is no doubt about that. He protects me because he doesn't want Ray Jr. to have to go through the pain of losing another parent. I protect him because my son needs a male influence in his life and no one is better qualified for that than Horatio.

So here we are once again, sitting across from each other, getting lost in each others eyes. On the outside looking in a person could say that we are happily in love, though no one knows the pain that I feel knowing that this is a love that I will never know. I told him long ago that we should not cross that line because I am still his brother's wife. He told me that I wouldn't have to go through this alone. I pushed him away. I ran as fast as I could because I am afraid of losing him. Only I realized that the further I run, the faster he catches up to me. He is not one to let me go so easily and I am not going to let him.

I don't know how much longer we are going to play this game. I would like to think that maybe, just maybe he will stop looking at me like his brothers wife and as the woman who is completely and utterly in love with him. Time will never change the way I feel about him. He is everything to me. All he has to do is say the words and I will be his forever.

_What if I told you what if I said that I love you  
How would you feel what would you think  
What would we do  
Do we dare to cross that line between your heart and mine  
Or would I lose a friend or find a love that would never end  
What if I said_


	14. I loved her first

I Loved Her First

Pairing: Eric Delko/ Kenwall Duquesne

Setting: Hopefully before the end of the series

Kenwall Duquesne almost dropped the phone when he saw Eric Delko's name run across the caller ID. The last time he had called him was when Calleigh was in the hospital. He made Eric promise him that he would take care of his lambchop and Eric did everything in his power to do that. He learned from Calleigh that they began their relationship shortly after her hospital stay. That was two years ago. Duke and Eric had since established a well-rounded relationship, much to Calleigh's surprise. She had always told Eric that he hadn't liked any of her boyfriends. Thankfully this was not the case at all.

Eric had asked him to meet him for lunch. Duke was no fool; he knew exactly what this conversation was going to be about.

As Kenwall Duquesne sat outside in the Miami sun waiting for Eric to arrive he got lost in the memories of his little lambchop. He laughed at the memory of her riding a two-wheeler for the first time. He smiled to himself as he remembered the first time he saw Calleigh riding a horse. Unfortunately not all of the memories were good. He could still hear her begging him not to leave when he divorced her mother. He had thought that she would never forgive him for walking out on them.

He kicked himself for not being sober enough to be at Calleigh's graduation from the police academy. Nonetheless, he knew that she would make a great cop and an even better CSI. He moved to Miami with the intention of making up for all of his shortcomings. She was still his little girl and no matter how old she got, he would always see that beautiful baby girl that he held in his arms so long ago.

He watched as Eric walked towards him. He stood up to greet her daughter's boyfriend. How lucky she was to find him after all this time, he thought to himself. He had always wondered what had taken them so long to find each other, but he knew in his heart that the road to love is not always paved with roses. Calleigh trusted Eric with her life, she had told Duke that many times before. He knew that deep down inside that he did too. There was no one else in the world that Kenwall Duquesne trusted with his daughter's life or heart.

Eric sat down in front of the man who he hoped would give him the honor of his daughter's hand in marriage. They made small talk before Eric asked him what he had intended to ask him many times before. Eric wanted to do this right, he knew that Calleigh would probably shoot him if she knew that he was doing this, but he didn't care. This was something that he felt he had to do. It was the honorable thing to do. He didn't want Calleigh's father to think that he didn't respect tradition.

"Would you do me the honor of giving Calleigh's hand in marriage?"

Kenwall Duquesne looked up at the Cuban man he had come to love as a son. He could tell by the look in his eyes that this man loved his little girl. A part of him thinks that Eric had always loved Calleigh and she had always loved him, even before they had come to that realize it themselves. He thanked his lucky stars that they would be taking this next step together. This man would give anything to make sure that she would always be happy and loved. This man would protect her.

With tears glistening in his eyes he nodded, "It would be my honor."

_But I loved her first and I held her first  
And a place in my heart will always be hers  
From the first breath she breathed  
When she first smiled at me  
I knew the love of a father runs deep  
And I prayed that she'd find you someday  
But it's still hard to give her away  
I loved her first_

_--Heartland_


	15. Unanswered Prayers

Unanswered Prayers

Eric Delko/Calleigh Duquesne

If there is one thing that Eric hated it was being late, especially late for dinner with his girlfriend. It was one thing being able to see her at work but he longed for the closeness that the evening would bring them. Unfortunately for Eric, he got behind on a case. He called Calleigh to let her know that he would be running late. Calleigh laughed and told him that it was fine. She was at the bar waiting for him.

Eric laughed as he hung up the phone. Knowing Calleigh she was probably chatting someone up at the bar, always looking for someone to set Ryan up with. The thing he didn't expect was to see the person she was chatting with.

Eric pulled up to the restaurant a half hour later. He rushed to the bar and noticed that Calleigh was talking to a brunette. He walked up to Calleigh and put his arms around her.

"Hey Babe, sorry I am………"

Eric froze as he noticed who Calleigh was talking to.

"Eric, this is…….."

"Vanessa."

Calleigh looked at Eric in shock. Oh great she thought to herself.

Calleigh saw the brunette she was talking to fling herself into her boyfriend's arms. Eric stood there and didn't say anything. He looked at Calleigh and she raised an eyebrow at him, demanding an explanation.

"Vanessa and I dated in high school and a little in college." Eric explained.

"Eric, wow I didn't think I would ever see you again."

"Vanessa, what are you doing here?"

"Well I went by your mom's house and she mentioned that you would be here tonight, I thought that I would surprise you. I didn't know that I would be talking to your girlfriend while I waited for you to get here."

Calleigh wasn't the jealous type, not at all, but something about this woman set something off inside of her. She put her arm around Eric's waist and didn't let go.

"Would you like to join us for dinner Vanessa?" Calleigh asked.

"I couldn't impose."

"No, no imposition at all, right Eric?" Calleigh looked at him.

Eric smiled at his girlfriend. This was going to be a long night.

Vanessa joined Eric and Calleigh for dinner. Eric couldn't have felt any more uncomfortable. What Calleigh didn't know was the he had been crazy in love with Vanessa all through high school and through his first year in college. He could have sworn at the time that this was the woman that he was going to marry. He prayed every night that she would not leave him. When they broke up it tore him up inside. He begged her to come back to him but she packed up and left Miami. It took him two years to get over her. No one had ever compared to Vanessa that was until he met Calleigh.

Calleigh was his whole world. In his heart he knew that she was it for him. The one he couldn't imagine living his life without. She was the woman that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. As he watched her interact with his ex-girlfriend he smiled and looked up to heaven, silently thanking God for not bringing Vanessa back to him all those years ago, but for leading him to Calleigh. He excused himself from the table to make a phone call.

Eric dialed his mother's number. "Mami, I'm ready now."

Mrs. Delko smiled at the other end of the phone. "I know mijo, come by tomorrow to pick up your grandmothers ring."

Eric walked back to the table as Vanessa was standing up to leave.

Calleigh once again put her arm around Eric.

"It was really nice meeting you Vanessa."

"Same here Calleigh. I wish you two nothing but happiness."

Vanessa gave Eric a hug and whispered into his ear. "She's the one, isn't she?"

"Yes."

Eric watched as his past left once again. This time he didn't feel anything. It was in the past. He looked at Calleigh and could see his future.

As Calleigh snuggled up against him in bed, he once again thanked God for unanswered prayers.

_--Sometimes I thank God for unanswered __prayers__  
Remember when you're talkin to the man upstairs  
That just because he doesn't answer doesn't mean he don't care  
Some of gods greatest __gifts__ are unanswered prayers._

_Garth Brooks_


	16. Wanted Dead or Alive

Wanted Dead or Alive

Horatio Caine/Ryan Wolfe

Post Season 6

Ryan Wolfe had a bad feeling about where this meeting with Horatio was going. He knew that Horatio would not stop at anything to protect those he cares most about. But this, this plan was absolutely insane. Why he didn't go to Delko, Calleigh or Natalia was beyond him. In the end Ryan knew exactly why he was chosen to help Horatio with this task.

It wasn't because Horatio didn't trust the rest of his team; he did. Horatio chose Ryan for the simple fact that he owed him. Horatio fought tooth and nail to get Ryan reinstated and Ryan thanked him immensely for that. Ryan had told him that he owed him; he never knew that he would have to repay that favor so soon. So when Horatio called him earlier in the day and asked to meet with him at the warehouse located at the private airstrip he didn't hesitate. Leaving the interrogation with Calleigh looked suspicious, but no one needed to know what was going on.

Ryan sat there listening to the details of the plan with Horatio and the other members of the FBI. Later as they sat in the Hummer before Horatio was to leave to prepare himself he asked him why he chose to go this route. He took off his sunglasses and looked Ryan straight in the eye and told him that he was going to get Ron Saris off the streets or he would die trying. As Ryan stepped out of the Hummer, he looked back at the man he had grown to respect. He hoped that he would come out of this alive because in the end, he knows that the team would not be able to survive without him. He hated that he had to deceive his co-workers and friends. He knew that this was not an easy decision for anyone involved; he just hoped that he was strong enough to carry on this façade.

Horatio watched as the youngest member of his team walked towards his department issued Hummer. This was a dangerous game that he was playing. He sent a silent prayer to his late wife and hoped that this game would be over soon. He couldn't stand to put Ryan or anyone else on the team in a compromising position. He knew that he had to put an end to this game. Dead or alive he would get his man.

_I walk these streets, a loaded six string on my back  
I play for keeps, cause I might not make it back  
I been everywhere, still Im standing tall  
Ive seen a million faces an Ive rocked them all_

Im a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride  
Im wanted dead or alive  
Im a cowboy, I got the night on my side  
Im wanted dead or alive  
Wanted dead or alive

_--Bon Jovi_


	17. Forever

Forever

Eric/Calleigh

**Post season 7—character death implied**

She had been waiting in the Hummer for any type of indication that search team had found Eric. As soon as she heard the call come over the police scanner she took off.

Her heart nearly stopped as she heard the words Officer Down, someone call rescue.

She hurried towards the edge of the Glades. They found him. She didn't know what condition he was in, but she wasn't about to fear the worst.

She threw her shoes off and ran towards where the paramedics were. She could feel Ryan's arms holding her back as she struggled against him.

"I need to see him, Ryan."

"Cal, you don't want to go over there."

"Ryan let me go."

"ERIC" she yelled.

She broke free from Ryan's grasp and pushed her way through the paramedics. She could see them administering CPR. Her heart shattered into a million pieces when she didn't see Eric responding to the CPR.

She kneeled next to Eric's lifeless body. Her tears fell endlessly as she wrapped her arms around him. She pleaded. She grabbed his face and held it in her hands.

"Don't you dare leave me! Eric, do you hear me, don't you dare leave me in the world without you. We haven't had forever yet. You promised me forever. Eric, I love you. Please come back to me."

_You left, it wasn't long enough, it wasn't long enough... together  
But it was long enough; yeah it was long enough to last, forever...  
I feel Cheated (I feel Cheated), defeated (can't believe it)  
Can't believe that you're gone (your gone, your gone)  
Oh it was wrong (so wrong)  
It wasn't long enough_

_--Rascal Flatts_


	18. Why are we still friends

_All right so truth is I would love to see these two together. They make sense…they are just too cute. _

Why Are We Still Friends

Ryan/Maxine

For the past couple of years they had been hanging out together on the weekends. It was nothing special; they would usually end up walking on the beach or watching an old movie at either one of their houses. It was all the signs of a great relationship without all the complications.

He would be lying if he said that he didn't like her as more than a friend. Truth was he had liked her for a while now. He never had the courage to ask her out. It was that line that he told himself that he wouldn't cross after the thing with Natalia.

But now here they are…2 years later and countless weekends spent laughing at stupid jokes he finds himself falling deeper and deeper. He knows that she has been seeing someone on and off for a couple of months. He hates that it bugs him so much. He hates that she doesn't have a clue.

RVRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRV

She wishes she could say that she didn't like him as more than just a friend. She remembers the first time she met him, she thought he was cute in the adorkable way. The more and more she got to know him, the more and more she was impressed. It happened out of nowhere. He asked her if she was busy that weekend, she said no and they met up with everyone else on the team. She noticed as the rest of the team slowly faded away until it was just her and Ryan laughing the entire night away. It became a ritual of sorts; they would meet up on Saturday afternoon and go down to the beach or just curl up on the couch watching old movies. She would never admit it to him, but she loved the way she felt in his arms.

She wanted more from him but she never knew how to approach the subject. When she started dating Sean she felt guilty. Part of her felt as if she had been cheating on Ryan, but that was insane. Ryan goes on as if it doesn't bother him that she is seeing someone else she hates that. She finds that she is distancing herself away from him and it feels like she has just lost the best thing in her life. She can't bring herself to tell him how she feels because she is afraid that she is the only one feeling it.

RVRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRV

One night after a night with the team, the two of them walked on the beach. Her hand brushes against his as they walk along the moonlit path. She takes in the scent of his cologne as if it is the last time she will see him. She turns to him and looks deep into his hazel eyes. "What exactly are we doing here Ryan?"

She put it out there. Two years of unrequited feelings blurt out in seven words. He turns to look at her his hazel eyes looking deep into her brown eyes. "I don't know."

Maxine shields her face as the tears threaten to fall from her eyes. Ryan puts a finger under her chin and lifts her face up as he gently caresses her cheek. He places a tender kiss on her lips and asks the question they have been evading for a long time. "Why are we still friends?"

--

_Why, why are we still friends  
When everything says  
We should be more than what we are  
And tell me why  
Everytime I find someone that I like  
We always end up being just friends _

_--98 degrees_


	19. If Tomorrow Never Comes

Warning: Alludes to possible Season 8 spoilers….

If tomorrow never comes

Calleigh Duquesne

He had left only a month before, but to her it felt like an eternity. They had mutually agreed that it would be the best thing for them right now, this "break" as he called it. The hardest decision she ever had to make was watching him walk onto that airplane into places unknown.

The case had gotten to her more than usual. Maybe it was because he was still fresh on her mind or maybe it was because it just hit a little too close to home. She had gone home that night and cried herself to sleep. Wishing, wondering and hoping that he was thinking about her too.

The case involved a petite blond whose Cuban boyfriend was murdered right in front of her. The young woman struggled to come to terms with her boyfriend's death and would take her own life the next day. She had written in her letter that she couldn't imagine a life without him in it. That is what hit close to home, the words he had spoken to her six months earlier came back to haunt her. _**I can't imagine going to work without you; I can't imagine living my life without you**__. _It was the same words she had spoken to him two months earlier when the roles were reversed. She couldn't imagine her life without him yet she faced that reality day in and day out of the past month.

He hadn't called, he hadn't written. Not a word from him. She was too afraid to call his mother because in the back of her mind she felt as if it was her fault that Eric was gone. It was all because of her. She was the one that pushed him away. She was the one who didn't stop him. She was the one who let him go. She can't say that she didn't blame him if he never came back, but this goodbye was killing her. She didn't want to lose him, yet when she shot at him, she lost his trust and him.

Her goodbye would come later in the week when she found out about the young woman's death. It took her all of two seconds to realize that life was too short to be without the one you love. She did what she could to get a hold of his mother to find out where he was. She told her and wondered out loud what had taken her so long to call. After reassurance from his mother that she didn't blame her for her son leaving she booked her flight. The cost nor the distance was an option, she needed to get to him.

She would walk into the lab the next morning with her badge and gun in one hand and her suitcase in another. This she realized was the easiest decision of her life. Losing him again was not going to be an option.

As she walked out of the lab for what could be the very last time she paused to remember why she had loved her job so much in the first place. Visions of Eric came flooding to her mind, from the simple moments of them laughing in the break room to the stolen kisses in the locker room before their shift was over, she couldn't be without him any longer. She told herself that she would spend the rest of her life showing him just how important he was to her. He needed to know that if tomorrow never came for either of them, she would let him know just how much she loved him. She loved him more than she could ever love the job. No one could ever take that away from her.

--

_cause I've lost loved ones in my life  
Who never knew how much I loved them  
Now I live with the regret  
That my true feelings for them never were revealed  
So I made a promise to myself  
To say each day how much she means to me  
And avoid that circumstance  
Where there's no second chance to tell her how I feel_

--Garth Brooks


	20. Love at First Sight

_I think I damn near fell out of my chair when I saw the promo and actually screamed like a little girl when I saw which is now my favorite scene between Eric & Calleigh. This reinforces my belief that they were always meant to be together, no matter what anyone else says…LOL_

_Contains spoilers for 8x01, everything else, just my imagination_

Do you believe in love at first sight?

I wish I could say that I didn't but that was before I saw her. She was the epitome of perfection; long, beautiful blond hair and a smile that could light up even the darkest days. Who was I kidding, I was a lowly tow truck driver, still trying to get out of the academy, and she would never give me a second look. She seemed overly excited as she stepped out of the car. It was her first day I heard her tell the red-haired detective. I knew that this was the first day of the rest of my life.

I had tried to not stare too much but she caught me looking a few times. She smiled back at me and I could swear that my knees felt weak. No one had ever had this affect on me like she did. I pretended to be smooth and suave when I was introduced to her, but I failed miserably. Imagine me being intimidated by this beautiful blond, it was almost embarrassing. Thankfully Speed hadn't been there to witness this; I don't think I would have ever lived it down.

The end of the day came with a promise of new things to come. I made way down to the garage to lock up my truck when I saw her coming. I smiled at her. _"I only have one question for you, do you want to give me your number now or later." _ She took a moment and let out a contagious laugh. I couldn't help but to laugh with her. _"Now what makes you think that you are gonna get it." _She said to me.

She flashed her gorgeous smile yet again as she walked away. I turned and watched her walk away. She had my heart from the minute I saw her, she was most definitely going to be the woman I would spend the rest of my life with. I would have to remember to thank Horatio Caine for the job and for bringing this beautiful woman into my life.

--

_Thought that I was going crazy  
Just having one those days yeah  
Didn't know what to do  
Then there was you_

And everything went from wrong to right  
And the stars came out to fill up the sky  
The music you were playing really blew my mind  
It was love at first sight

_--_

_Kylie Minogue, Love at First Sight_


	21. 6,8,12

_Yes, I am still having a hard time dealing with Eric leaving. I live in a world where this is never gonna happen…_

_But in the end, we know it is happening. I really do hope that we get to see Calleigh struggle with this because we all know she will try to hide behind it. Here are my thoughts...hope you enjoy it_

_Special thanks to FallenForFlack for being my beta, I really appreciate it!_

Loosely based around the spoilers for 8x06, Calleigh finds it difficult to deal with Eric leaving.

For the past six months, 8 days, 12 hours since he had gone away she had been missing him. She would wake up in the middle of the night reaching for him as if he was still next to her yet his side of the bed was as cold as ice. She had the same dream every night since he had walked away. They are standing in front of an alter in front of their family and friends, ready to say I do and then the alarm rips her away from him. Every morning she wakes with the same thought; "Do you ever think about me?" She missed him more and more each day. It was getting harder for her to hide behind her 1000 watt smile. She needed him, even if she thought he didn't.

She woke up that morning wanting to forget the entire day. They would have celebrated their 6 month anniversary eight days before and instead of having him there with her, she was still silently mourning the end of their relationship. He had left her without as much as a word. She would find out from Horatio that he needed time to process everything that had happened. It hurt her more than anything else in the world that they had been reduced to this. She understood his reasons for needing to run. She always assumed that he would call on her. She would casually ask her friends if they had heard from him. Each time, her smile faded when they would whisper no. They didn't want to tell her that they had kept in contact with him because it would crush her. Lying to her was slowly killing them as well. They couldn't understand why these two just couldn't go back to the way things were before. Relationships are complicated but they are more complicated when the two people who deserve to belong together can not seem to get past their insecurities.

The first call-out of the day and she was already not looking forward to it. She inwardly cringed when she realized that they were searching for a missing groom. All of the memories from the last wedding murder they worked together came flooding back to her. She let out a small smile as she remembered putting on the veil and at the way he had looked at her. She had gone to interview the jilted bride; Kim. The young blonde reminded her so much of herself and seeing the picture of Kim's missing fiancé made her miss Eric that much more. She saw the way the two looked at each other in the picture and was reminded of the last picture they had taken together. His mother had said that they had both looked like they were so much in love, but she had always thought that they had looked at each other that way even before they were together. Her heart ached a little more when she realized that she wouldn't have that with Eric again. She tried to remain professional in front of the jilted bride but her pain seemed to have gotten the best of her.

"_Sometimes men just leave."_

She didn't mean for it to sound as bad as it did when it came out. She tried to mask the pain of her own boyfriend leaving while working on this case. This young woman who had planned this whole life for her and her fiancé was in pain. She could relate even though Eric hadn't proposed to her. He had promised her forever and like this man who was missing; he was gone. Calleigh promised to find Charlie and bring him back to her. Calleigh wanted someone to have the happy ending that she never seemed to obtain.

When they found Charlie, Calleigh seemed almost relieved. She was happy for the young couple and as she watched the tearful reunion between them she found herself once again missing the one who had taken over her thoughts everyday for the past six months. The tears seemed to want to fall as they both thanked her profusely for everything that she had done for them. They had invited her to their sunset wedding that evening and she had respectfully declined.

She walked into her condo alone. His scent was slowly fading from her place on the pillow he used, the small bottle of cologne he had left and on the towel she couldn't bring herself to wash which had been safely tucked away in the back of her closet for the past 128 days. The tears that had been threatening to spill since she had first woken up that morning had finally let loose. She was hurting. She saw a couple happy and in love and she wanted that same thing more than anything in this world. She wanted him to come back to her and make her the happiest woman in the world. She wanted to be with him through all of the good and bad times. She wanted her own happy ending. It was too late though; he was gone. She didn't know if he was thinking about her or missing her as much as she was missing him. Six months, eight days, twelve hours ago she had thought that it was the first day of the rest of her life. Now on this day, a little over six months later the only thing she wanted was for the pain to go away. She knew that she would move on, but at this moment in time, the only thing she prayed for was an end.

_It's been six month, eight days, twelve hours since you went away…._

_I miss you so much and I don't know what to say…._

_I should be over you_

_I should know better but it's just not the case_

_It's been six months, eight days, twelve hours since you went away_


	22. Need You Now

**Based loosely on spoilers for episodes 8.11 & 8.14. (I can't wait to see Eric, I miss him so much) This is my own twisted interpretation of what could happen, if it were to actually happen this way, I think I would probably have a heart attack. **

Need You Now—Eric & Calleigh

They had both decided that it would be best for them to take a break from their relationship. She threw herself into her work, working long hours, taking a special interest in the victims. She decided that it was easier to hide the pain of him not being there than to talk about it, in typical Calleigh form. For him, it was easier to leave Miami than to be constantly reminded of the intense pain he felt for not having her near him. Yet two months later he found himself drawn back to Miami. He was nothing without her that much he knew. They had successfully worked together during the week, yet every interaction was filled with tension. He couldn't pinpoint if it was sexual tension boiling between them or just the tension of him feeling as if he was intruding on his former team. Either way, he knew that every accidental touch, every glance, every time his eyes wandered from his work towards her was his way of letting her know just how much he needed to be near her. He was weak, especially when it came to her.

He had told himself that he wouldn't break first. Leaning against the couch with his head on his knees, he watched as the beer bottles began to line up on the coffee table in front of him. He knew that drinking wouldn't solve the problem he was having. It was a mere distraction to numb his pain. He opens his wallet to see a picture of them staring back at him. His pain intensifies as he carefully takes the picture out of his wallet. Holding it in his fingers he can't help but to pick up his phone with his other hand. He needs her, he wants to see her. He silently prays that he is strong enough to not call her. After all, his playboy days are done. He isn't that guy anymore, calling late night for a hookup. He is completely in love with this woman. Looking at the clock, he realizes that it would be too late to call anyway. If her attitude toward him that week was any indication to him, she wasn't prepared to face him just yet.

--

She had told herself that she wouldn't do something like this. She had sworn that she wouldn't be that girl. But she needed him. She needed to feel his arms around her; she needed to feel as if she was safe. She was so frustrated. The case had brought out the worst in her. But to see Eric sitting across from her made her feel ten times worse. She had known that he had left Miami, but she was hurt that he didn't tell her that he had come back. She thought that they were passed that. She thought that she at least deserved a phone call. Her mind began to play tricks on her. Did he love me as much as I thought he did, did he meet someone new? Were they truly over?

It was late, yet she couldn't sleep. She walked into the kitchen and noticed the half empty bottle of wine sitting on the counter. If the experiences of the past had taught her anything it was that drinking wouldn't help at all. Yet as she sat there holding the glass earlier in the evening it seemed to help, after all one wouldn't hurt. She just didn't think that one would turn into four. She mentally kicked herself for turning into her father. Drinking wouldn't solve anything, but it sure helped numb her pain. She grabbed her cell phone and slightly traced the familiar number on her cell phone. She hated to call him so late, but her fingers suddenly had a mind of their own.

She held the phone up to her ear and hung up after the first ring. She told herself that it wouldn't happen; she wasn't going to give in to him. She put the phone back down on the counter but the vibrating of the phone next to her startled her out of her trance. It was Eric, the one that she needs. She picks up the phone and before her brain can catch up to her mouth she says something she knows that she might regret in the morning, _"I need you_." He doesn't hesitate as he makes his way to her. He needs her as much as she needs him.

--

She met him at the door wearing nothing but a shirt that he'd left at her place. She wore it every night since they had fallen apart. It was her way of feeling close to him when he was gone and now that he was back it was her way of being with him without actually giving in and calling him. The moment he sees her, his lips come crashing onto hers. The months of separation have finally come to a head. They need each other. They need to feel that connection that they thought they had lost. They need the reassurance that they are still very much in love. As he takes the time to reacquaint himself with the feel of her kisses he suddenly stops. He looks back at her with her eyes full of lust. This isn't the way he wanted to do it. He wanted to romance her with wine and roses. He wanted to make love to her by candlelight all night and into the morning. He didn't want it to be a one time thing; he knows that both their hearts would not be able to withstand that kind of relationship.

He tells her that they shouldn't do it this way. She looks at him with the same fire that is in his eyes and tells him that she needs him. She loves him, she needs to feel him. She is lost without him; it'll only happen this one time she tells him. I just need to know that you still love me, she silently whispers. If the intensity of his kiss was any indication to her, he was still completely head over heels in love with her. Clothes come off as they make their way to her bedroom. He takes a moment to look over her before his lips coming crashing down on hers once again. She feels complete once again. His strong arms hold her as gently places her on the bed.

As he lies with her in his arms he knows that this won't be a one time thing. They have fought too hard for them to end up as a late night call. He silently prays that this is a step in the right direction. After all, their relationship has never been easy. He places a kiss on her forehead before he closes his eyes for the night. As she places her head on his chest, a smile comes across his face. He feels whole again. This feeling, he gathers is what dreams are made of.

He does need her, just as much as she needs him. Hopefully they can get back to where they were before the nightmare began. Because in the end, no one can love her the way he does.

--

_I wonder if I ever cross your mind, for me it happens all the time_

_It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now_

_Said I wouldn't call, but I lost all control and I need you now_

_And, I don't know how I can do without, I just need you now_

_--Need You Now, Lady Antebellum_


	23. Jesse's Girl

Jesse's Girl

_So I was out the other night and the band that I was listening to played Jesse's Girl. Anyone who knows me knows that I can't stand Jesse at all. But this was just begging to be written and well, I need to get back in the habit. Anyway, this takes place after the episode where Jesse stood Natalia up._

_This is going to be from Travers' POV, because part of me wants to believe that maybe, just maybe he has a little crush on her. _

When Cardoza started at the lab, Natalia seemed to take a sudden interest in him. Her smile seemed to get bigger when he was around. I knew then that I didn't have a chance. She would bring him coffee, hang around the lab just a little longer and laughed at his horrible, horrible jokes. I started to wonder what it was about him that made all of the women in the lab turn into mush.

I had noticed that she had been acting unlike herself. She was usually so happy and friendly, but something had rubbed her the wrong way. I had noticed a couple months before that she had taken to dressing up a little bit more at work. Was it wrong of me to hope that maybe, just maybe she was dressing up for me? I had taken an instant liking to her when I first started; there was something about the way that she smiled at me that always seemed to put a smile on my face. She was one of the first people to reach out to me during my first few weeks in the lab. She & Wolfe took me out to show me around Miami, sometimes Wolfe would leave and just leave the both of us to walk around downtown Miami.

I don't remember exactly when I developed this childish crush on her. I am almost 35, I am too old for crushes right? I had heard office gossip that Jesse had asked Natalia out for drinks, just the two of them. My crush seems to have taken a liking to someone else. The next day I noticed that her smile had faded fast. It was my hope that maybe the date didn't turn out quite as planned, but in reality, her heart had been crushed similarly to the way mine had been. I didn't want to wish her any heartache because she was too beautiful for that. But Cardoza doesn't deserve someone like her.

I wanted to do something special for her. She needed something to make her smile. I went out at lunch and bought her a single red rose. I left it on the lab table and watched as her smile returned. She turned to look at me and I smiled back at her. She may not feel the same about me, but truth is she is too good for Cardoza. There seems to be something suspicious about him that seems to worry me. I hate to sound like a teenager again, but I do still hope that she will look at me the way she looked at Cardoza.

_Jesse's got himself a girl  
and I want to make her mine  
And she's watching him with those eyes  
And she's lovin' him with that body,  
I just know it  
Yeah 'n' he's holding her  
in his arms late,  
late at night – Rick Springfield_


	24. Could Have Been Me

_Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a huge Eric & Calleigh shipper. I heard this song today on the way home from work and it made me think of what would happen if Eric & Calleigh never got back together. _

_Set 3 years in the future. Even if she did love him with all her heart, she had to move on. And even with a broken heart, Eric let her._

Could've Been Me

It had been 3 years since he had left the Miami-Dade Crime lab. Three years since he walked away from everything he ever wanted. They had both decided it would be for the best, the chance for him to head up the crime lab in Orlando was a once in a lifetime opportunity. She couldn't leave, with Horatio retiring, she would be next in line for a promotion. She worked her entire career for that opportunity and she couldn't pass it by. She watched him drive away from her, for the last time in her life. She thought she would never recover, never love again, but little did she know love would find her.

She hadn't expected to fall for Jason so quickly, but it just happened. It was everything she had wanted, yet nothing she had expected. She prayed that Eric would find his way back to her, but as the days turned into months and the months turned into years, she knew that moving on was the best thing to do.

When Jason proposed, she had been completely surprised. She hesitated for a moment to say yes, as the thought of Eric ran through her mind. She couldn't put her life on hold any longer. She had a man that loved her, who wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. She couldn't wait for someone who had so easily walked away from her.

He had made the hardest decision of his life the day he walked away from her. They had both come to the understanding that this would be an opportunity of a lifetime. Yet, as he drove away from her he knew that they would never be the same. The daily phone calls slowed to weekly phone calls. Soon it was every few weeks, then months, then nothing. He tired to move on but every woman he met, he compared to Calleigh. She was all he saw in everything he did and every night in his dreams. He had gone back to Miami with the intentions of rekindling their romance, until he saw something that broke his heart into a million pieces. They were at the pier, where he & Calleigh had gone many times before. He saw this man, get down on one knee and propose to the woman who had stolen his own heart many years before. He saw a hint of hesitation in her eyes before she slowly nodded her head yes. He knew that he had missed his chance at happiness. He walked away from Miami with a heavy heart that night. His love was gone and now there was nothing he could do about it.

The months quickly passed as her wedding day approached. She had addressed the invitation to Mr. Eric Delko & guest. The invitation had stayed in her purse for months. She couldn't bring herself to send him the inviation. She thought about how she would feel if she were to receive an invitation to his wedding. She tossed it into the trash and didn't give it a second thought. The pain she felt intensified as her wedding day drew near. A part of her would always belong to Eric, she knew that, but it was time for her to move on.

As she made her way down the aisle, she smiled at Jason and thought back to the wedding case she had worked with Eric. The memory sent a shiver down her back. She scanned the crowd and felt a tear fall down her cheek. This was it, her life as she knew it was starting anew. As the preacher asked if anyone had any objections, she could hear her own breath hitch as if she almost expected Eric to run down the aisle and interrupt the ceremony. The ceremony continued and they were pronounced man & wife.

He had heard from Ryan that she looked stunning in her wedding dress. He knew that he couldn't bear to see her marry another man. He felt relieved that he hadn't received an inviation to her wedding. He wonders what would have happened if he had shown up. Would he have stopped the wedding, would he tell her that he made a mistake.

_It could've been me, he thought. It should have been me. It should have been us dancing to the song and it should have been us making love. It could have been us together forever. I was a fool to let you go, let you walk away. Now I have to live with the fact that you belong to someone else. Someone who isn't me. _

He wipes the stray tear from his eye as he picks up the shot glass. Here's to you Calleigh, the one I love. It could've been me, could've been us. Now he's left with the memories of the love he had once shared with the blond haired, green eyed beauty.

_It could have been me standing there with you  
It could have been me and my dreams coming true  
But those dreams move on if you wait too long  
It took me till now to see it could have been me_

It could have been me...  
-Billy Ray Cyrus


	25. If you're reading this

If you're reading this...

A nation mourns as a father reflects on his loss...

_Horatio's POV_

It was the weekend before 4th of July. My team and I had been working for 72 hours straight on a serial killer case and were nowhere near a suspect. I dismissed them for the weekend, hoping that we could tackle the case anew on Tuesday. I had a feeling the whole day that something was wrong, but I couldn't pinpoint if it was about the case or about something else.

I had finally settled down for the night, I took the case files in my hand to see if I had missed something. I heard the knock at the door, I hadn't been expecting anyone. I assumed it was Eric or Calleigh coming over with any new information. Imagine my shock when I saw the two uniformed Army officers at my door. I didn't hear anything past them asking me if I was Kyle Harmon's father. All of the files in my hand fell to the floor. My worst nightmare had come true. I had been afraid for his life everyday since he left the year before. His emails became more & more sporadic. He had always told me that no news was good news, but I knew something had gone wrong. The officers came in and told me that my son had died saving a woman and her children. It didn't make the pain go away, but my son died doing what he could to save someones life. It was a long way from where he had started.

The thought hit me suddenly when I realized that Julia didn't know. She was still at the hospital, she had a meltdown after Kyle's latest deployment. I received all of the information regarding Kyle's final trip home and before the officers left, they told me the same thing I had told the many families before, we are sorry for your loss.

I felt as if I had been hit by a ton of bricks. Losing a loved one doesn't get any easier, I lost my mother, at the hands of my father, my wife and my brother at the hands of a monster and now my only son, at the hands of a never ending war. The hardest thing I had to do was to tell Julia about our son. I swear, even a week later, I can still hear her screams.

The funeral was like a nightmare that was never ending. The entire department showed up to pay their final respects. My team had stayed behind the entire day, they felt my pain as their own. As I watched the casket of my son lower into the ground, the tears that I had tried so hard to hide spilled. Julia clutched my arm as tight as she watched the same scene unfold in front of our eyes. No one deserved to go through this, no one deserved to lose a child, especially not in this manner. I led Julia back to the car and placed a kiss on her head. She looked at me through the tears and asked me why I let him go.

A week after the funeral I received his footlocker. Inside I found his final letter...

_Dad,_

_If your're reading this letter then it means that I didn't make it home. We were told to keep a letter in our footlocker just in case something went wrong. I'm guessing that in this case it did. I wish I knew where to begin, so I'll begin with this. Thank you. I know that we didn't have the easiest start, but I am glad that I met you. I spent my entire life searching for you and my mom. I'm glad that I got to meet you both and given the chance, I wouldn't change a thing. You taught me so much in the short time we had together. You taught me how to be a good son and an even better man. I had hoped that when I joined the Army that I would make you proud. After all of the things that I had done in the past, I needed a __chance to make things right. _

_I wanted you to know that I met someone special before my latest deployment. Her name is Melissa and dad you would love her. She's amazing, she makes me feel like I am on cloud nine. I am going to ask her to marry me. She is everything I have ever wanted. I really do hope that you get to meet her, because I think you would love her as a daughter. I need you to do me a favor, if you read this letter I need you to tell her that I love her and that she was the first thing I thought about in the morning and the last thing I thought about at night. I wanted to make her my wife._

_I need you to take care of mom for me, I know she won't be able to handle anything happening to me. Tell her that I'm sorry for the pain I've caused. I'm sorry for hurting her. _

_Dad, if you're reading this, I'm already gone. But know that I was proud to be your son. I hope that in the short time we were together, that I was at least half the man you were._

_Love, _

_Kyle_

Horatio sat on the floor reading the letter as the pain of his loss over took him. His son was a better man that he ever was. His son gave his life so that others could live. He knew that his pain would eventually subside, but right now it was intense. He was proud of his son, he had always been. His son was a soldier, his son was a hero.

_So lay me down  
In that open field out on the edge of town  
And know my soul  
Is where my momma always prayed that it would go  
And if your reading this, I`m already home _

_-Tim McGraw_


	26. Anytime You Need A Friend

Anytime You Need A Friend

Alexx & Eric – post Bang Bang your Debt

She had noticed that there was something off about him the whole day. But she couldn't exactly figure out what was happening with him. She had really thought they were past all of the problems after his shooting, but then she heard a name she hadn't heard in years...Speed.

They were at Dade University, working through the crime scene. She had noticed that Eric had been talking to Frank then all of a sudden his eyes widened and he walked away from Frank mid-sentence. She watched him walking towards a grassy area and she heard him call out to Speed. Alexx shivered when she heard the name of their long dead friend. She let the incident pass without mentioning anything to Eric. She didn't want to upset him more than he had already been.

As Alexx walked towards the lab she caught Calleigh looking at Eric working.

"Calleigh, baby, is something wrong?" she asked her.

Calleigh let out a sigh, "There's something wrong with Eric, I just can't pinpoint what it is. I think me being with Jake bothers him."

"Have you talked to him about it?" Alexx asked.

"No, we haven't had a chance to talk yet. I should go, thanks Alexx."

"Bye Calleigh."

Alexx watched Calleigh walk into the AV lab and talk to Eric. She walked to DNA, dropped off her samples and headed back down to the morgue.

Alexx had walked into the locker room after she had heard about Cooper getting caught with Speed's credit card. It didn't take her long to put two & two together. She could only imagine how crushed Eric had felt. She saw Eric sitting on the floor with his head in his hands. He was leaning against Speed's locker. The coolness of the metal was helping the throbbing in his head.

She sat down next to him and placed her hand on his arm. "Hey baby, how you holding up?"

Eric didn't say anything, he just shook his head. She heard him say quietly, "I really thought he was back. I miss him so much."

Alexx wiped a tear from her eye, "I know baby, me too."

"Eric, why didn't you come to me."

"Alexx, its not easy saying, I think I just saw my dead best friend."

"I know baby, but you know I'm here. You can always talk to me, Calleigh, or Horatio."

Eric took in a deep breath, "I know. I just...I just didn't know how to react to this."

Eric stood up and Alexx quickly followed. He hugged her tightly and thanked her for checking on him.

She pulled a card out of her pocket and handed it to him. He looked at the card & then looked at her.

"What's this?"

"My friend is a therapist, she is a very trusted doctor. Please Eric, give her a call." she pleaded with him.

Eric slowly nodded and told her that he would call first thing Monday morning.

They said their goodbyes before Eric made his way to the cemetery.

As Alexx watched him leave for the night, she sent a silent prayer to the heavens. Take care of my babies she prayed, they both need someone.

_Anytime you need a friend  
I will be here  
You'll never be alone again  
So don't you fear  
Even if you're miles away  
I'm by your side  
So don't you ever be lonely _

_-Mariah Carey_


	27. Truth Is

Truth Is

_He's in town for his parents 35th wedding anniversary and she's none the wiser. What happens when the newly divorced Calleigh comes face to face with the man she let walk away 5 years earlier._

He hadn't stepped foot in Miami since he saw Calleigh on the pier with her boyfriend. He had known what was coming and he wanted to leave before his heart broke any further. Everything he had felt for Calleigh had been replaced by heartache and pain. He couldn't blame her for moving on, in fact he had almost insisted on it. It's not like he had given her the best choice. He practically pushed her away when he took the job in Orlando. He had hoped that the move would be temporary, but once the calls slowed to a stop, he knew that it was time to come to the realization that they would never be what they used to be. He had slowly tried to build a life in Orlando, new people, new friends and maybe a new love. He had dated a few woman in the past couple of years, but none came close to Calleigh. His newest girlfriend, Veronica, would not be coming with him to Miami for his parents anniversary party. He couldn't subject her to his family, at least not yet.

He hadn't been in Miami for more than an hour before he spotted her. She was at an outdoor coffee shop, listening to a young lady playing a guitar. She looked exactly the same as she had before. He noticed the sad look upon her face. He couldn't not stop without seeing her. All the feelings he had for her came rushing back.

ECECEC

She was sitting outside at her favorite coffee shop listening to the music that was playing. She was looking at an apartment guide. The house she and Jason had shared together had been sold and she had 30 days to find a new place. She hadn't noticed the pair of eyes looking at her from across the street, which was odd for her. She normally had a keen sense of these things. After finally getting the sense that someone was watching her she looked up to see him walking across the street. Her heart jumped into her throat as she quickly recognized the man's face. It seems as the years had agreed with him, she thought to herself.

She stood up as he made his way to her table. He pulled her into an all too familiar hug. She felt as if she were putty in his arms. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt like this, so loved, so protected. She had never felt the same way with Jason.

"Eric, its so great to see you. Its been too long, what are you doing back in Miami?" she asked.

He didn't remember the last time he had felt like this, the way that Calleigh fit perfectly in his arms.

"I'm good," he said. "I'm here for my parents anniversary party. You know Ma & Pa would never forgive me for not coming." he chuckled.

She smiled at him, "Yeah, I know. How are you parents doing?"

"They're good, everyone is doing great."

They sat down and caught up for a while. He asked about every one at the lab. He knew that Horatio had been promoted to Police Commissioner, Ryan had gotten married and Natalia was engaged to be married. He asked her how it felt to be the boss, he got his answer with a smile. Being boss suited her, he noted.

Calleigh didn't want to ask, but she knew she had to. "So, are you seeing anyone?" she asked with a sense of hesitation.

Eric pulled out his phone and showed her a picture of an attractive brunette. "Her name is Veronica Cruz, she works in the DA's office in Orlando."

Calleigh pursed her lips as she tried to come up with a response. She could feel her heart shatter. She could imagine Eric felt the same way when he found out that she had gotten married.

"She looks very nice." Calleigh said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"So are you and your husband looking for a new place?" Eric quickly changed the subject, noting the apartment guide sitting on the table.

Calleigh had been so engrossed in her conversation with Eric, that she had forgotten that the apartment guide was sitting on the table.

"Um, no. Actually Jason and I got divorced a couple months ago."

"Cal, I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"No, Eric, its ok. Those things happen I guess." she shrugged.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

"No, its in the past. I just have to focus on picking up and moving on. Which is what this is for?" she said as she picked up the guide.

They stayed at the coffee shop a little longer, reminiscing about the good times. They talked about her dad, his family and their mutual friends.

Before they knew it, it was late. He should have been on his way to his parents house about an hour earlier. He just couldn't seem to tear himself away from her. Things between them seemed like they hadn't changed. She had the same laugh as before, the occasional snort coming from her when he made her laugh a little too hard. He didn't remember the last time he had laughed so hard.

They got up to say their goodbyes. Once again he pulled her into that all too familiar hug. They walked their separate ways. She turned around and watched him walk away, and she knew she had to do something.

She called out to him and he turned to look her way. "It was nice seeing you." she said, not hiding the sadness in her voice. She turned to continue on her way. He called out to her but she didn't hear him.

"Calleigh, look me in the eye and tell me that you don't feel anything for me." he said after he caught up to her.

"Eric, please don't do this. Go to your parents party, go back to your girlfriend in Orlando."

"Damnit, Calleigh, tell me the truth. Tell me you don't feel anything." he said as he caressed her face and moved his lips closer to her.

"What do you want me to say Eric?" she whispered.

"Tell me you don't love me."

"I can't, truth is, I never stopped." she said as her lips touched his.

For those on the outside looking in, they saw two people kissing. For the two people involved it was much more than just a kiss. It was the beginning of something that should have never ended. It was their second chance, the chance to finally get things right. As Eric walked into his parents anniversary party with the green-eyed beauty on his arm, he knew that things were finally going to be right. Truth is, he had never stopped loving her, even as much as he had tried convince himself otherwise. For Calleigh, it was her second chance at first love. Truth be told, she might have loved others, but none had held her heart they way that Eric did. Now, no one ever would.

_(Truth is) I never got over you  
(Truth is) Wish I was standing in her shoes  
(Truth is) And when it's all said and done  
Guess I'm still in love with you  
(Truth is) I never should have let you go  
(Truth is) And it's killing me cuz now I know  
(Truth is) And when it's all said and done  
Guess I'm still in love with you_

_-Truth Is, Fantasia Barino_


End file.
